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The building up of the church is carried out through the administration of the church and the ministry of the word, both of which depend on the condition of our person. Our administration of the church might not result in much building up of the church. It is also possible that our ministry of the word might not result in much building up of the church. Even our bringing people to salvation and helping the saints to be edified might not result in much building up of the church. Our work may be effective, but the more we work, the less there is the element of building. In other words, the effectiveness of our work is inversely proportional to the building up of the church. This is the tearing down of God’s building work, not its building up.
Under normal circumstances the more we work, the more we build. Our work should be our building. For example, when some preach the gospel, they not only save sinners but also build up the church; when they edify the saints, they not only help the saints but also build up the church. We need to take heed to this one thing: we may work without producing the building. If we are in the light, we will see that it is possible to save sinners and edify the saints without building up the church. Many works in Christianity are tearing down the work of God’s building. The most serious tearing down of God’s building in the church is not the result of persecution or opposition from the unbelievers. It is the result of the many zealous works in Christianity. These works do not come out of evil intentions, wicked thoughts, or errors. They have the good purpose of saving sinners and edifying the saints. However, they do not issue in the building up of the church.
What does it mean for our work to tear down God’s building? A good example of this occurs when a brother responsible for a group meeting changes the proposal of the elders to study a particular book of the Bible. While his changing the book may edify those in his meeting, the way he does it tears down God’s building up of the church. It does not help the saints to know their flesh, deal with their opinions, or learn to submit to others. His way will only produce people with views and opinions, who like to adjust others and do not submit to others. Although this brother has a good intention and neither criticizes nor judges others, the destruction to the church is serious.
The elders may decide that the whole church should study the Gospel of John, but a responsible brother may think that this book is too long and change it to 1 Thessalonians. This good intention shows that he has not learned the lesson of being broken, he does not know how to put his opinions aside, and he does not know how to submit to others in the church service. The church cannot be built up if twenty-one responsible ones say, “The elders are not necessarily right in their way of doing things. Their decisions are not always correct.” Once this attitude is adopted, things will get out of control.
These responsible brothers might not be satisfied even if the apostle Paul was one of the elders. Whether the elders make right or wrong decisions is not our problem. Our need is to submit to them. It is difficult to believe that one who does not submit to the elders can produce people who are broken, deny themselves, place themselves under God’s hand, and submit to others. The best they can do is produce ones with views and opinions that tear down instead of build up the church.
To build up is to put one stone upon another stone. In contrast, the Lord’s word in Matthew 24 shows the tearing down: “There shall by no means be left here a stone upon a stone, which shall not be thrown down” (v. 2). In tearing down, no stone is left upon another stone; in building up, every stone is upon another stone. People may praise our work, but we need to see if our work tears down the church. Satan’s scheme is to tear down. All our work in Taiwan has been building up; however, during the past six months there has been much tearing down. This is the scheme of the enemy, and many among us have been used by him to do this work of tearing down. We do not want to do this work of tearing down. No brother or sister is doing this work of tearing down out of an evil intention. However, because we have not learned the lessons, we are unconsciously used by Satan in our service to tear down. Satan uses our work to tear down. We may think that we are building up, but our work is tearing down the church. Satan tears down through our work. This causes our service and the testimony of the church to suffer a great loss.
We need to search our heart and consider whether our work during the past six months has brought us into one accord or into dissension. To be in one accord is to be building up; to be in dissension is to be tearing down. The responsible brothers are in dissension if they change the intention of the elders without the feeling of tearing down. If seven of the twenty-eight home group meetings are in this condition, the church in Taipei will be in discord and scattered.
We are not here to establish the authority of the elders as if they were popes, but we need to ask whether there is an administrative authority in the local church. In whose hands should this authority be? If this authority is in the hands of the one thousand brothers and sisters who meet regularly, we will become the church in Laodicea (cf. Rev. 3:14-22). If this authority is in the hands of a pope, we will become the Roman Catholic Church. The administration of a local church is in the hands of the elders. The elders should learn to submit themselves to God and fear Him. They should administrate the church in fear and trembling and learn to be strong. They should be afraid of making mistakes and of being weak and indecisive. If a group meeting should be stopped, the elders should make the decision without hesitation; otherwise, the remaining home meetings will become like small local churches.
If no one in a local church has been broken, fears God, or acknowledges the authority in the church in his service, that local church is in discord. Their many activities will result in more tearing down. It would almost be better to have fewer activities. If any of the responsible brothers in the church in Taipei have an opinion that differs from the decision of the elders, there will be a tearing down work in the church. Such a situation of dissension will cause death. If the responsible ones in the homes are like this, those in the groups will also voice their opposing opinions. This kind of trend can be likened to the body contracting an infection, which will kill the body. This is dissension and tearing down.
Through the subtle scheme of Satan our labor may in fact be a tearing down work. Some brothers and sisters have made a great sacrifice for the Lord and for the church. On the one hand, we should not boast of the sacrifice we have made, but on the other hand, since we have made such a sacrifice, we should not allow Satan’s scheme to enter into our midst. If we serve in discord, we will have no way to continue. Satan’s most cunning scheme is to do a dissenting and scattering work in our midst.
Satan’s work is not to cause everyone to argue; rather, it is to do a work of tearing down through man’s good desire and intention. This is his craftiness. Apparently, the suggestion of the responsible brother to study a different book of the Bible is for the benefit of the saints, but in fact, it is not. However, if we have truly learned the lesson, we will see that although the arrangement in the church service should be flexible, not rigid, there must be one accord and one move in the church. In this way the church will avoid falling into Satan’s schemes.
Every local church must honor the authority of the Holy Spirit, whether it is large or small. For example, in the church in Jerusalem, although thousands among the Jews had believed (Acts 21:20), there was not a conference of the church for the people to vote on different matters in chapter 15. Instead, the apostles and elders gathered together before God, and after some shared their experience and light, James stood up and spoke (vv. 6, 22, 13). This is the authority of the Holy Spirit in the Bible.
After meeting together, they wrote a letter to the Gentile believers (v. 20). They did not quarrel, nor did the church hold a conference for the believers to express their opinion through a vote; instead, the apostles and elders gathered together before God to decide the matter. Once they made a decision concerning the problem of circumcision, no further opinion was expressed.
Those who have learned the lesson will say Amen when the elders decide that the group meetings should study the Gospel of John. Those who feel that this book is too long should be helped by those who have learned this lesson to submit to the church and respect the authority of the church. We must first help the saints to accept the arrangement of the elders before suggesting that a shorter book be studied. Helping the saints in this way is beautiful and contains the element of building in one accord.
If, out of an impure motive, a responsible one doubts the decision of the elders and shares his feeling with other responsible ones, the factor of death will be spread. He might not slander or oppose the elders, but in his speaking he may spread the thought of the church being a dictator. This will cause dissension. The seed of dissension that is sown into the saints can grow and eventually cause them to be in dissension with the church. This is tearing down God’s work.
Even in our preaching of the gospel and our edifying of the saints there may be a factor of tearing down. This can be compared to drinking a cup of tea that contains the tuberculosis bacteria. After drinking the tea, we will contract tuberculosis. It is a serious matter if a brother, who did not possess a dissenting heart before being edified by us, begins to express an element of dissension in his service after being edified by us.
A local church is finished if all the saints are dissenting. We must be aware of this great danger. The most cunning scheme of Satan is to sow the seed of dissension through the serving ones. When he does this, the work of the Lord is disrupted, and there is discord in the church service. A person who has contracted tuberculosis may appear healthy, but within a year his entire being will collapse.
Our problem is that we consider ourselves to be so smart and capable that we do not need one another; we are always stepping on others. This is an indication of discord with the element of tearing down. This is not building up. Those who truly build up the church feel that they cannot act independently and cannot be without the brothers and sisters. They feel that they need others. When ministering the word, such a one needs the brothers and sisters to pray for him, to support him in their spirit. Such a spirit seems to have disappeared from our midst. Those who minister the word do not seem to need the prayer of others, and those in the audience do not have a supporting spirit. They just listen to the speakers and make comparisons. Such a spirit is intolerable.
When the seed of dissension that is in our midst bears fruit, then the church, our service, and the work will collapse and fall apart even though we may be more spiritual. Our labor has not brought people into one accord with the church. Instead, we seem to only be causing dissension. The more we help people, the more they seem to dissent from the church and are scattered. There is tearing down, not building up. In particular, the brothers and sisters who work with the young people do not have the feeling of depending on one another.
We should all be of one soul to pray for, supply, and support whoever is speaking a message. If those who serve the Lord are continually disagreeing, instead of being in one accord, the enemy, the saints, and even the children will know it.
Real building depends on submission. To submit is to be in subjection to others. When we are willing to submit, there will be the building. Submission is not an issue if only one person is working. But if we are working together, we must not simply care for our own work. For example, submission is not an issue before a brother and sister are married, but after they are married, they must learn to submit. Only when there is submission can there be building. When a brother and a sister are married, their purpose is to build up a family. The foundation of this building depends on submission. The emphasis of building is not on obeying but on submitting. If a wife does not submit to her husband and a husband does not submit to his wife, their family will lack the building. We must believe that the elders in a local church are not careless in their decisions and that they are not authoritarian in their attitude. Although they may feel that they are weak and inadequate, they bear a great responsibility and take care of the church in fear and trembling. If all the elders have this kind of attitude and spirit, their decisions are deserving of our submission.
A person who argues about which book the church should study and doubts the decision of the elders does not have a submissive spirit or attitude. Without submission, there is no building. The building up of the church through our administration of the church and ministry of the word depends on our person. If we have learned the lesson, are broken, and know God’s building, those whom we lead will be living stones being built up as a spiritual house. If we have not been built up, we have no way to build others up. The work in our hands will not result in building up. The more people we save through preaching the gospel and the more people we edify will only bring more opinions into the church. Even though the number of stones for the building increases, there will be no building.
Satan’s work is to tear down. He has been doing this for two thousand years. Most of the gospel work in Christianity attracts people to believe by means of material gain. This is poor and superficial, and it shows that the power of the gospel has been lost. When a church is full of dissension, its condition will be weak. Since we came to Taiwan in 1949, the church in Taipei has been fresh without any dissenting factor. Satan is now attempting to do a tearing down work. When we are in one accord, we have the authority of the Holy Spirit.
Some brothers are not cautious in their words, and they unconsciously bring in dissension and tearing down even though they do not have a bad intention. For example, a matter that was fellowshipped in the elders’ meeting in the afternoon may spread throughout the church by evening, mixing facts with rumors. This shows that some brothers speak too much and have not learned the lesson in the church service. We do not have any secrets, but those who have been dealt with do not speak casually. For example, I recently sent out letters inviting brothers to come for a meeting, but I did not tell my wife. Eventually, she received the news from another sister. If a brother receives a letter, he should simply come on the appointed date. There is no need for him to tell others about it. This kind of casual speaking is meaningless and gives room to Satan.
There is nothing secretive about sending out letters about a meeting. To not spread the news that you were invited to a meeting is to reject the flesh. I had a heavy burden to call a meeting, but I did not tell my wife about it. I could not even tell my wife about my burden, so why do the brothers need to ask my wife about it? This small matter can bring in dissension and tearing down. Those who have learned the lesson will not speak carelessly in their service and coordination. Although we may speak of many different matters with people, we must know our place when we speak of matters related to the service.
For the purpose of giving hospitality to Brother T. Austin-Sparks, I wanted to find someone who could cook Western food. We found a cook and paid him, but he ran away with the money. The next day a brother wrote a letter in which he offered to lend me his cook. I was surprised that the news spread so quickly. A person who has learned the lesson in service would never speak of such a thing. Even if one thousand cooks ran away, why is there a need to speak of it when it has nothing to do with us? This does not mean that the cook’s behavior is a matter that must be kept secret for fear of what others may think. The Bible records that one of Paul’s co-workers, Demas, loved the present age (2 Tim. 4:10) and that Paul exhorted the brothers in Ephesus, saying that he who steals should steal no more (Eph. 4:28). Thus, a cook running away with money is not a strange thing. But why would this news be spread in less than two days? This indicates that we need to learn the lesson of not spreading information. Spreading information tears down.
A brother once remarked that others were asking him if he was going to serve in Taichung, even though he was unaware of this information. This spreading of information occurred among the serving ones. Whether or not the brother was going to Taichung, it was not necessary to spread the information. If this brother needs to fellowship regarding his service in Taichung, he will come for fellowship. We do not need to ask so many questions.
If we want to build up the church, we need to let the Lord deal with us in these matters. Otherwise, the more we work, the more we will tear down and the more dissension will be produced. Many unnecessary words can be spread through the serving ones. We need to ask the Lord for His mercy. The serving ones should not speak carelessly. We need to learn this lesson. We may speak with the brothers and sisters about many different things, but in our service we should not be careless to speak of things that the Lord has not committed to us. In matters pertaining to our service, we should not speak so freely.
Some serving ones once spread the following word: “The elders cannot make up their mind on any matter. They are continually making changes and do not inform us of the changes.” This shows that they have not learned to be restricted or ruled by the Lord. Although they may be consecrated to the Lord in their service, a few sentences can tear down a year’s worth of work. They work with one hand and tear down with the other. This is not building. We need to be on the alert to see that the work in Taipei today is in discord and has fallen into Satan’s scheme. Satan is spreading dissension through our serving.
If these problems are not dealt with, we will not have the building. The problems in the administration of the church and the ministry of the word are the result of the problem in our person. Please allow me to say a strong word: the spirit of insubordination is operating in our midst. Insubordination means tearing down, not building up. To be insubordinate is to not build, to not be built, and to tear down.
In order for our work to produce the building, many negative factors within us must be eliminated and dealt with. There are certain things we should not say, certain attitudes we should not express, and certain actions we should not take. In order to submit, we need to be restricted. Because those who are not restricted are unconscious of the many dissenting factors within them, there is a dissenting element in their words. We should not put the Lord to shame or come short of our consecration. Our work must build up, not tear down. It must be in one accord, not discord.
It is difficult to know how much breaking and restricting we need in order for our work to be in one accord and to build up others. Although these words are strong, please receive them with a humble and meek heart. We bear a heavy responsibility before the Lord. We will each give an account to Him at His judgment seat. If our work tears down, it will hinder many from receiving grace and being edified. This is a serious matter. We must learn not only to work but also to do a work that builds up. We should never allow our words, attitudes, actions, and expressions to produce any dissension or result in any tearing down in the church. We are not here to build up human authority; rather, we are here to build up the church of God so that His authority can be expressed in the church. Therefore, there are things we should not say, actions we should not take, and attitudes we should not express. These require us to learn before the Lord.
